‘A lovely, lovely man’: Talented bassist loses 38-year cancer battle

Steven Hansey, 41, also known as Steve45 from the band Alto45, died on March 1 at a palliative care unit in Norwich. Picture: Contributed by Joe Bear (Image: Archant)

Friends and family are mourning the loss of a “determined” musician, after his 38-year battle with cancer.

Steven Hansey, 41, also known as Steve 45 from the band Alto45, died on March 1 at the Priscilla Bacon Lodge, a palliative care unit in Norwich.

At the age of two, the bassist from Ditchingham, near Bungay developed leukaemia.

According to his bandmate, Joe Bear, the illness tormented him as an adult, but that never stopped him from loving his life.

The band were played on national radio and toured across the country to bring their upbeat sound to various venues. Picture: Contributed by Joe Bear (Image: Archant)

“He was very ill as a child, so he moved primary schools and that’s originally how I met him,” the 39-year-old from Norwich said.

“He had health issues which plagued his living but for someone who was unwell, he was generally quite positive about his illness.

“One of the things about him is he had that defiance.”

When they were at Bungay High School, Joe, Steven and James Boyce, who are all from the area, were united through their music teacher.

“We were in a band called Alto45 since the mid-nineties, it was a bit of fun we dressed up in lab coats and played geeky pop music, we have a lot of memories,” he said.

The band were aired on national radio and toured across the country to bring their upbeat sound to various venues.

“One of my fondest memories would be sitting and eating sandwiches all together while on tour, or Steve pulling up to band practice in his Fiat,” he said.

The musician was driven by learning and would delve into eclectic hobbies such as magic, while also teaching himself to play the ukulele.

“I don’t know if he was skilled in it, more he was determined,” he said.

“He was just a lovely, lovely man, he just had time for everyone and anyone and was so friendly.

“A sparky character, that’s what he was.”

A service will be held at Ditchingham Church on Friday, April 12 at 11am.

The family have requested donations to be made to Priscilla Bacon Lodge and have asked people to dress comfortably and not feel “miserable” by wearing black.